Rylee's first trip to lodgepole.

We went to Lodgepole Campground a couple of weeks ago with Rylee and met up with the Toad, Brain, Tiffany, Danny, and my parents!  We debated long and hard if we wanted to stay overnight and decided not to before we headed up.  We were glad we didn't stay overnight because it was getting chilly by the time we left at 10:30 that night- Baby Girl would've been unhappy and cold!

Before heading up to the campground, we stopped at the Dairy Keen in Heber and grabbed some burgers, fries, and a shake.  Rylee was not impressed... I think she wanted to eat some of that yummy goodness she kept smelling.  I'd be mad too if I couldn't eat the Dairy Keen's perfectly crisp fries!

Then we headed up to Lodgepole and met up with the rest of the group.  We went for a little walk on the Foreman Trail and bundled Rylee up in her little pink jacket her grandma bought her and a couple of blankets.  And then Daddy decided she was still cold, so we zipped her up in T's jacket too.

She was decidedly warmer than any of us!  

Even Lady came along with us sans a piece of rope since her lease was left at home.  The group gathered some firewood for the bonfire Danny and Brain wanted to build for Smore's and then we headed back to the campsite.

 

Rylee also got to hang out with Grandpa for a little while and we snapped a couple of adorable pictures of them together.

 Grandpa was definitely a happy camper!

 

Then it was onto some Daddy time...

Rylee is a big fan of the feeling of T's scruff.  She still can't quite make out what she feels about it, but she's definitely intrigued by it.

We stayed long enough to snarf down some Smore's and watch the sun go down.  It was a nice little trip up to some cooler weather and enjoying family and friends.  There's nothing quite like being in the mountains and showing Rylee some of God's beautiful surroundings.

Perfect six hour mini vacation!

Splendid Summer

This summer was absolutely delightful.

I about died on the walking sticks of death and nearly took my mother out on my way down too.  We couldn't stop giggling and laughing the entire time.

My ever so talented husband rocked at them though.

Apparently, stilts are not meant for those who have had "Madsen" as their last name before.

I went to Lake Powell for my very first time.  Ever.  We spent a few days on a houseboat and T went out wakeboarding and wakesurfing.  I enjoyed the more of the sightseeing aspect of the boating trip.

T endured the many baptisms we went to over the summer.  The greatest thing about teaching 2nd grade is that you get an invite to almost every single baptism of every LDS student in your class.  It was so much fun to go to all of them and be a part of all of those special days!  Of course, we had to bring cute little gifts to each baptism!

Tyler rocked the summer with his soccer skills.  He scored a couple of goals and got bumps and scrapes from his many encounters with the other team.  

My hottie husband started an unpaid internship at the beginning of the summer.  Towards the end of the  summer, he was given a paid internship at the same place!  He did so well that they wanted to keep him around!  Hooray for finally being able to quit Home Depot and work somewhere that will further his career in finance along!

Picnics in the park up Provo Canyon are a must during the summer.

Speaking of musts, camping at Lodgepole which is our favorite campground is a definite must.  This year, the camp host had a cat that roamed the campsites.  She was a sweetie and I may have let my parents dog chase her a time or two.  

T indulged my sweet tooth often (he still does).  He's so good to me and any time I have a chocolate craving, he's the first to jump up and satisfy it.

We discovered the CocoaBean this summer and I'm in love.  T likes the Sweet Tooth Fairy more, but I'm a CocoaBean cupcake lover.  Along with loving this darling husband of man.  Is he not just the cutest?!

We were released from our cub scout calling and playing with teaching these cuties.  In this picture, we built marshmallow shooters and they had a huge marshmallow fight on the church lawn.  It was pure awesomeness.

One of my favorite cousins came home from his mission.  Peter has always been my best bud during family get-togethers.  He still is.  We're in the midst of a Star Wars marathon on sundays at the moment.  It's fun living by so many family members!

One of my best friends growing up got hitched to a girl who we grew up with.  It's fun seeing friends happily married to the love of their life.  

My best friend, Katie, is having a baby girl in December!  It's sad having her up in Idaho so far away, but we picked out the perfect baby gift for her and sent it up!  She loves yellow and has always been a fan of giraffes.  I fell in love with this baby blanket at first look.  Thank goodness for etsy where I can buy things that are still homemade and cute.

Seriously though?!  Everytime I look at this blanket it makes me want a baby so I can get one for myself.  I die every time I look at it.

Not pictured are all of the lawns mowed, the garden we grew (how did I NOT take a picture of it at all?!), other camping trips, movies, dinner dates, and so many other fun times!

We had a splendid summer and we're looking forward to a fantastic fall!